The Washington critic., 1887-03-07

comes nkt an clcctric shock.
f0f nearly half a century We have
heard ~ him 90 much and 80 often rs
an active. aggressive factor IN public
Affair. apparently never resting. Ger.
tainly never ille nor rclsins 10 make
BE strong Individuality r'uiinaous'y
fer tlli We bal slmo.' forgotten Dee
vas rroairr oli in the mrlntlmr, and
that uo Dad passed i.lr ALLOTTED age uf
man
tlv1s h1t tDi.r'p, 7s a. were, that
W. wUc i.l tD h1l undertaken 20
finish 0nc 20 hlaEr.1'Hi literary works.
a., "iife of Culf. anl no one asso.
daiul with % lbo ilaa oi advancing
ae,i ~ me ihou-lt for moment that
the end of al effort was so close nt
hhnd
Bot when she ,y,a,fll experiences
through which Mr lerrhcr has passed.
from the cate nf BE first settlement
over a little church ga Indiana, ami the
magnitude ~ The labnri be has since
wrought are taken luio c1nsiiurail lu.
it l. occasion Of liilie Nuud,r that tho
massive frame. the powerful Intellect,
the bounding heart. hrc crushed be-
meath the burden At La, and their
wonderful vitality exhausted.
All through the antl.sllycry aglia.
tlon, the stirring events In Kansas that
preceded the war, the mighty struggle
for the maintenance OF the Unlon. the
years Of reconstruction that followed.
he was the foremost intellectual Gle.
mont Of the Teyoluiion-R relentless
partisan at times in the parlance Of the
politicians, but no less an irrepresslblo
force.
Nor was he less a power In the grea,
cause OF religious than Of civil liberty.
lie has been as much the foe Of spirit
ual as of physical bondage-of
theological crecds as Of human chat.
tclism--and who shall not say that the
world is better of for his living
AS 10 the unfortunate domestic scan.
dal In which he became Involved some
years ago, and about which the opin.
Ions of the people varied In, perhaps.
the same proportion as the opinions OF
the jury, which stood nine to three for
his acquiltal, II proved temporary i'm.
redimcut 10 Mr.. BetchcFs usefulness,
but none whatever 10 his activity. II
cannot be said 10 have caused any ob.
scura,iou of au already recognized aud
accomplished fame. The Influences
which he had set In motion toward the
omnl cipalion of thought aud Tue pud.
fCaiion Of politics aud the strengthen.
ing Of our national hrothgrhnol, were
too great 10 be nculrgli1cl hy un inli.
vidual misstcp, aud will hllom aud
frnc,ify long after the memory of his
alleged weaknesses have vanished into
oblivion.
MKs j. u. P.'s DIPLOMACY.
1t will be a source OF unalloyel sat.
isiaction to the great American people,
no doubt, TO learn that the final deter.
minaiion of Mrs. James Brown Potter
TO appear before the foo'llghts "a not
going to interfere at all with the social
and friendly relations existing between
this lady and the Prince and Princess
of Wales. Mrs. James Brown Potter
communicates this Important intelli
gence herself through the medium OF
London interviewer, and thereby
allays the general solicitudc of not les'
than sixty millions of people.
Twas feared that In signing contrac
with the managers of the Haymarke
Theatre, thereby definitely settling ,
long-vexed question us to her inten
lions, Mrs. James Brown Potter nigh
possibly have forfeited all further
recognition by the Wales family
which, considering the already strainet
relations of Great Britain and tn
United States, would tend TO still fur
ther, and possibly hostile, estrange
ments.
Mrs. James Brown Potter, however
exercised her usual diplomatic fore
sight in this matter and refralned frou
making any contract with the Hay
market managers until she had ascer
tanned the feelings and obtained the M
sent OF the Princess In this behalf
The country may now breathe eisle
than II did.
1t is also an excellent piece Of dlplo
macy, on the part of Mrs Jane
Brown Potter, to acquant the grel
American public with the fact that sh
is on easy terms of familiarity wit
the royal household and that she adopt
the dramatic profession virtually undt
the Queens patent, which being Eos
lish you know" Is a big thug. Som
invidious people may look upon this |
the sordid light Of an adyerllsln
dodge, but such an Interpretation q
her action is wholly incompatible wit
the shrinking Todesty Of the lady
nature and her well known aversion I
being paraded In the public prints.
THE CRITIC most cordially aud NJ
airectedly hopes that her hlstrlonic su,
cess will more than answer everybody
expectations, and that shc and he
managers may never have any fallin
out as to the amount of space her nan
shall occupy on the play bills.
THE death of Mrs. Beck, the wife {
Hon. James i. Beck Of Kontuck!
which occurred last evening at her re
idenco in this city, is not only an irr'
parable afiliction TO the surviving hu
band and children, but loss that wi
be long and painfully deplored by tn
wide circle of friends who loved the d.
ceased, and by the best society OF th